Research, Surveys & Forecasts

Can enthusiasm for virtual reality be converted into learning gains? That was the topic of a research project at Cornell University, which recently pitted VR against hands-on and computer-based activities. The bottom line: Researchers found students learned equally well in all three modes.

The Chiefs for Change have issued a "blueprint" for postsecondary success that calls for better transparency from institutions on student earnings outcomes, emphasizing industry-vetted career pathways and more seamless credit transfer processes.

As a committee charged with rulemaking for the U.S. Department of Education dukes it out on accreditation matters in higher education, the Christensen Institute has weighed in with recommendations to keep innovation in mind.

"A delicate balance exists between privacy and security in schools," a recent federal report on school safety noted. "On the one hand, there is the legal requirement to protect the privacy of student education records. On the other hand, it is critical to recognize that some education records may contain information that, if disclosed to appropriate officials, could help prevent students from harming themselves or others."

An intriguing survey on American attitudes to artificial intelligence found that more people in this country support development of AI (41 percent) than oppose it (22 percent). But there's no consensus on who should handle its governance: Americans place the greatest amount of trust in university researchers to build AI (50 percent), followed by the U.S. military (49 percent). The research comes out of the Center for the Governance of AI in the Future of Humanity Institute, which is part of the University of Oxford.

Extra supports, both financial and academic, make a difference to community college graduation rates. That was the bottom line shared in a new brief from MDRC, which was hired to assess the "Accelerated Study in Associate Programs" project, which took place over three years in Ohio.

Can adaptive technology help students encourage students to finish more assignments and do better on tests? That was the question researchers at the Center for Research and Reform in Education at Johns Hopkins University were tasked with answering in a research project sponsored by Knewton. "Overall," the researchers reported, "Knewton appears to be a useful tool for students. This study suggests a positive correlation among usage of Knewton, assignment completion and performance on online assessments."

Although this may not always be true, today's employers are looking for job candidates with "uniquely human skills" — but students don't yet have those skills in sufficient quantity, according to a new survey. And soft skills currently rank more important than hard skills, the survey found.

A group of higher education, government, nonprofit and business leaders believes that minority-serving colleges and universities are well positioned to serve as a "greater resource" for meeting U.S. STEM workforce needs. What's needed is more "attention" and "investment" to steer this diverse set of students to science, technology, engineering and math fields.